Remaining Hidden
by French-Lo
Summary: Two years after leaving Hogwarts, Hermione and the rest of the world are still threatened by Voldemort and his deatheaters. Forced to live in Grimmauld Place, Hermione will have to find a solution to defeat Voldemort. She and her secrets will have to remain hidden.
1. Introducing the story

Hello! A year ago I started publishing this new story called "Remaining Hidden" but I was not happy with what I had written so I stopped writing again. But I decided to modify a few things and to start again with this new story. So here it is, the brand new version. The first chapters are already written and needs just a bit of editting and I've planned to write between 30 and 40 chapters. I hope to update regularly.

If someone is interested to beta-read the story, send me a message.

SUMMARY: Two years after leaving Hogwarts, Hermione and the rest of the world are still threatened by Voldemort and his deatheaters. Forced to live in Grimmauld Place, Hermione will have to find a solution to defeat Voldemort. She and her secrets will have to remain hidden.

 **Remaining Hidden**

 **Chapter 1: Introducing the story**

Hermione was walking down Diagon Alley in search of a fine dress to wear for the little party Harry and Ginny would be holding next Saturday. It was the beginning of July and the weather was quite nice. Hermione enjoyed that kind of days where all seemed peaceful despite the menace which was threatening the British Wizarding society.

She had left Hogwarts two years ago. They had all hoped that Voldemort would have been vanquished by then. But the "Final Battle" never came. Nothing triggered it and Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix were still relentlessly looking for a way to defeat the greatest evil of all time. Voldemort and his Death Eaters continued to attack now and then throughout Britain. Fear was omnipresent, the attacks happened more and more frequently and animosity towards Muggleborns increased. There were more and more casualties. But Wizarding Britain had decided that the show had to go on and everyone kept calm and went on with their daily life.

Hermione was one of these people. She had left Hogwarts and was now studying at St Mungo's to become a healer. True, St Mungo's was full of employees secretly in favour of the ideas developed by Voldemort and more than one Head of Department was in fact manipulated by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named but Hermione liked her job. She had nice colleagues, worked on subjects she found interesting and had plenty of time to enjoy life and her friends.

Harry was training to become an Auror and was currently living at Grimmauld Place with his girlfriend: Ginny Weasley. They had invited her to a party next Saturday surely to celebrate Harry's birthday. That's why, Hermione had seized the opportunity of a day off before the big day to find a nice dress. She entered John's and John's Marvelous Robes Shop and bumped into none other than Lavender Brown.

"Oh Hermione! What a surprise!" she said with the fakest of smiles. "I didn't know you knew this shop."

Hermione rose an eyebrow and remained stoic. Lavender was Ron's stupid girlfriend and had been for two years now. They had started dating just before they left Hogwarts. Hermione had been a little bit sad that her romance with Ron Weasley had not lasted but she was happy that he had found happiness with this brainless girl. She did not like her but two years of having to spend meals at the Burrow with her had taught Hermione to become impervious to her nasty remarks.

"Hi Lavender. Hi Ron!" She said to Ron who waved back to her with embarrassment.

Ron did not really approve of how Lavender was talking to her best friend. But like everyone else he had gotten used to it and apologised every time he could to Hermione when they were alone.

"Are you here to buy a dress for Harry's party? Don't you want to put the black dress you had for Christmas? Because, I hope you don't want this light blue dress next to you? I don't think it'll suit you. It's very feminine and would not suit your haircut. You know, I think that the one over there would be better for you. It's more your style. All strict and plain and all as you like them."

Hermione's fake smile was starting to falter the more the stupid witch kept on talking. And she took it as her cue to leave the shop.

"You know what Lavender, you're right. See you next Saturday. Ron, I'll send you an owl for Harry's gift." Ron nodded. "Really Lavender, it was a pleasure. Good bye".

She almost ran out – but with dignity – of the shop. Once in the street, she let out a sigh of rage. Even if she was accustomed to her tactless remarks, it hurt.

Her shopping afternoon ruined, she decided to enjoy the rest of it by going to Flourish and Blotts. Maybe she would find a nice and old book to read in front of the fireplace at home while sipping a good cup of tea. She spent two hours there flipping through books about arithmancy, gardening, spells, history, potions ... She was interested in everything. She decided to buy a book about ancient spells and left the bookshop.

That is when the cruelty of life hit her. In the street, most of the people were carrying and reading the same edition of the Daily Prophet.

 **NEW ATTACK IN EDIMBURGH: ONE MUGGLE FAMILY KILLED, TWO MUGGLEBORN WIZARDS KIDNAPPED.**

Hermione sighed and a tear fell. It would never end. In her pocket, the coin she had designed for Dumbledore's Army and which was now used by the Order started to burn. She did not even have to look at it to know that Dumbledore was summoning every members of the Order. It was the same ritual after each attack. There would be a meeting where they would talk about the attack, explain the consequences of it, the Order's spy would be implicitly blamed, they would try to find solutions to avoid the next ones, and every member would go back to their activities sad of not having been able to prevent the deaths of innocent people. When would that end?

Being not far from her flat, she decided to go to her building in order to use the floo there. Once arrived, she climbed the stairs. She had to hurry to the meeting, Dumbledore was not very fond of people being late.

In front of her door, she frantically looked for her damned keys in her purse. What is this infuriating law which makes the keys disappear in your bag every time you are in front of your door? She should have put in place this magical system which recognised your palm instead of the good old key system. But she was too nostalgic of her muggle education.

The moment she found her keys and opened the door, it's her phone which started ringing. Yes, she had a mobile phone. She thought it would be better to have one in order to call her parents who were now living in Australia. And she had convinced Harry to get one as well. It was definitely much easier than an owl and much more discreet when you lived in London.

But she cursed against the person who was calling her at such an important moment – either Harry or her mum. It was not the time!

"Hello?" she said but no answer came. Damn these magical buildings! Some days you couldn't even hear your interlocutor and you had to go down in the street. And today was one of these days. She hurried downstairs.

"Hell-"

She didn't even have time to finish her word that she was thrown against the wall of the little café which stood opposite to her building. Part of her building had just exploded and the blast effect of the explosion had thrown her across the street. When her head hit the wall, she lost consciousness.


	2. Grimmauld Place

**Here is the second chapter. Leave me a review to tell me what you thought of it.**

 **And I'm still looking for a beta-reader...**

 **Chapter 2: Grimmauld Place**

When Hermione woke up, a man was standing in front of her.

"Are you okay miss? We just called the police. They will arrive soon."

Her head was throbbing. She rose her hand to her temple and felt blood trickling from there.

"Mione! Mione! Do you hear me? No Ginny I don't know… MIONE!" It was Harry on the phone trying to know what was happening.

Her phone was lying next to her and after a few moments she took it to answer and stop Harry from screaming on the other end. It made her head ache even more.

"Harry?"

"Hermione." Harry sighed in relief. "I'm so glad to hear you. I was just talking to you when I heard a terrible noise and then you didn't answer. What's happening?"

"I don't really know Harry. I think there was an explosion."

"WHAT? Where are you?"

"I'm okay. I'm in my street. I came down with my phone when I couldn't hear you. I hit a wall. I suppose the building exploded, it's all fuzzy in my head. And I feel dizzy."

"I'm coming 'Mione. Don't move."

She chuckled. "As if I could, my flat just blew up."

"All right, I'll be there in a minute"

"Harry! You might want to call your team. I'm pretty sure there is something magical in this explosion and the muggle police has been called. We may need to obliviate some people."

"Right. Even when you are dizzy, your brain works better than mine."

A few minutes later, Harry arrived. Policemen were everywhere interrogating the witnesses and taking notes. Their cars blocking the street with their lights on. The scene was not pretty. Half of the building had been blown up. There were dust, clothes, books, bricks and other things everywhere.

Harry found Hermione standing and wrapped in a blanket given by the police. She was covered in dust with a trail of blood running down her cheek from her temple. She was staring at the building.

"Hermione?" Harry said when he approached her. "Are you alright?"

She turned around and throw herself into his arms.

"Oh Harry! I've lost everything."

"That's alright Mione. You're alive and that's all that matters. What happened?"

"The police says that the third floor exploded. My floor. We will have to wait for the Aurors but I'm pretty sure that it was the Death Eaters. They must have booby-trapped my flat and when I opened the door it triggered something. If you hadn't called me I might have been dead by now."

"Yeah. You've always been very lucky. Are you alright?"

"Yes. I'm just feeling a little bit dizzy. A muggle doctor looked at me and said it was normal. I banged my head pretty hard against the wall. He said that I was to experience dizziness for some times before my inner ear returns to normal."

"Well, let's hope it won't be long. And your temple?"

"Just a cut where I hit my head. It's okay." She sighed watching her building in ruins. "What am I going to do now?"

"You're going to come and live with us at Grimauld Place!"

"Don't be stupid! I don't want to annoy you."

"You're the one who is stupid if you think for one second that I will leave my best friend wandering the streets of London. You are coming home. We have plenty of rooms and we already have a part of the Order living there. One more or one less is the same to us."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. You're my sister and I'm sure that Ginny would be happy to have someone to chit-chat with."

Hermione smiled. She was so lucky to have friends like that.

"And if it's really you who was targeted it means that the Deatheaters are after you somehow. You're in danger, we better not take it lightly."

"As if I was not targeted before…"

"Hermione…" Harry said reproachfuly.

"All right, all right. I'm coming. I'll live with you" Hermione said giving up.

Living at Grimmauld Place would be nice but the explosion meant that she would have to be even more careful now. Harry and Ginny would surely be overprotective. She did not really want that but Harry was right.

* * *

When they opened the door, Ginny ran down the stairs to embrace Hermione.

"Oh Hermione! I'm so happy you're alive. I was so scared!"

"That's alright Ginny. I'm alive. And I'm very thankful. Thank you for letting me stay here for the moment."

"Nonsense, you don't have to thank us. You're part of our family."

"See, that's what I told you." Harry said from behind Hermione. "Plus, if you really were the target of the Death Eaters you better remain hidden for a few days."

Hermione forced herself to smile at the mention of "a few days". Nobody was foolish enough to think that the war would be over in a few days. A few years more likely. It has already been years since Voldemort's return already and Hermione could not imagine remaining hidden for so long. She loved Harry, Ginny and the rest of the Order living at Grimmauld Place but she needed her independence.

"And you can help me with the preparation of the party." Ginny added with a smile.

"Oh joy!" Hermione said while rolling her eyes.

She was not particularly fond of parties and even less of preparing parties but if it was for Harry… But for the moment, all she could think of was going to the loo and a good hot bath.

"Guys, would you mind if I took a bath. I feel so dirty and exhausted."

"No, no. Come. I'm going to show you the room I've prepared. I've put some clothes of mine. The good thing with all that is that we are going to go shopping altogether! You need new clothes." Ginny said while climbing the stairs.

Hermione smiled and followed her. Ginny was always the one to look at the bright side of things. Even if you just experienced a very traumatic event, Ginny was here to make you smile again. Hermione quite liked that. It was better than desperately crying over everything she had lost in the explosion.

She knew it would happen. She was Harry Potter's best friend and one of the Death Eaters' targets. Professor Snape had warned them enough times during the Order's meetings. She and the Weasley family were the main targets after Harry and Dumbledore.

While Ginny showed her her room, she also explained that she was on the guests' floor. Dumbledore, McGonagall, Lupin and Nymphadora, and Snape all had a room on this floor. And even though most of them were not at home for the moment, she would not be alone in this house.

"Take your time," Ginny said leaving Hermione in her room. "Dumbledore postponed the meeting to tonight. And you better be in great form because there will be a lot to discuss."

Ginny left and Hermione started to prepare for a well-deserved hot bath.

* * *

When Hermione entered the kitchen of Grimmauld Place where the meeting of the Order was held, the majority of the members had already arrived and most of them were chatting. But the atmosphere did not reflect happiness.

Several people were gathered in different groups and from the words Hermione could overhear she was one of the main topics of discussion. Moody Mad-Eye stood in one corner of the room, his eye relentlessly scanning the kitchen. In the opposite corner, a dark silhouette stood leaning against the wall. It was Severus Snape. And close to the sink she spotted Ron, Harry and Ginny and decided to join them.

After a few moments, Dumbledore signalled the beginning of the meeting and everyone except Moody Mad-Eye and Snape sat down around the table.

"I've gathered all of you to talk about two events which happened today. You've all read about the sad news in Edinburgh." Dumbledore started with the headline of the Daily Prophet and it was decided that some members of the Order would be appointed to have a close look at the investigation.

"The second point of our gathering of today is the case of Miss Granger." When he stated her name most of the people present in the room turned their head to her and smiled with compassion. "We have yet to find who is behind this explosion but we all know that the list of suspects is rather short. Being a close friend of Harry, he and myself decided that you would remain at Grimmauld Place until further notice. If you agree."

He said this last sentence in a way that let little possibility to say no. And though Hermione was a little bit offended that such a decision had been taken without having been consulted, she nodded. A few moments later, she would realise that it was for the best. Such an explosion – two storeys had been blown up – was not to be dealt with lightly.

"Miss Granger," Dumbledore continued "you would naturally be able to continue your apprenticeship in St Mungo's but we may appoint some members to look after you for a few days." At this, Hermione frowned. It seems that the more Dumbledore talk, the less she felt free. "We don't want anything to happen to you and it's for your best."

"Of course, sir" Hermione replied bitterly.

"On a more positive note," he said looking at the rest of the audience. "I also wanted to bring to your attention that I have chosen Miss Granger to the mission of finding a spell or a potion which would weaken our enemy. Miss Granger is known for her love of books and research and she is the perfect asset to find a solution as quickly as possible. We cannot lose any more time."

How sweet of Dumbledore to add this last point! Hermione was already enough overwhelmed of having been appointed this mission, she did not really need this additional pressure. Dumbledore had come to see her at her flat two days ago to propose this mission to her. She had felt proud that he had thought of her to accomplish that. It's true that she loved looking for new information but this was different. People would rely heavily on her if she accepted. And so she had first refused the offer. Plus, she was studying to become a healer which was not really an easy thing. And she was certainly not the most qualified in the Order when it came to curses, spells and potions. But then Dumbledore had succeeded in making her accept. He had the gift of making people accept anything.

For the people in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place, this news seemed to be a really good one as most of them congratulated her and wished her to find rapidly a solution.

But not all of them seemed delighted. Severus Snape seemed to be unshaken by the news. But if someone had looked more closely, one would have noticed the clenched fist and whitened joint over his crossed arms. Severus was angry. Why would Dumbledore entrust the insufferable one of the Golden Trio with a mission concerning spells and potions? Was he not the most qualified for that? Was he not the current Potions professor or did he not apply several times to the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?

Surely, Dumbledore had thought through this but it still hurt. For some times now, Severus had felt pushed away from the decisions taken by the Order. And he was often accused by some members of not having warned the Order whenever there was an incident involving Voldemort and his Deatheaters.

Severus could not take it anymore for today and stormed out of the room. Nobody seemed to notice except some twinkling blue eyes.

Once Severus had left, the discussion went on for some more minutes and then everybody went back to their own lives.

* * *

It was Saturday. The day of Harry's birthday party. It felt good to see that despite the war people could still celebrate and be happy.

They had then moved to the Burrow to celebrate the birthday. The kitchen had been enlarged for the occasion. But with the many guests that Harry and Ginny had invited the room was crowded anyway. The whole Weasley family was here: Arthur and Molly, and all the Weasley brothers with their wives, kids and so on. A great part of the Order was also here. There were also friends from school – and members of Dumbledore's Army. Thus Luna and her boyfriend Neville Longbottom were here. Cho Chang, Dean Thomas, Seamus Fineggan, and the Patil Sisters attended the party.

But Hermione did not really like crowded places. She was getting tired of all the noise. She had sat as far as possible from Lavender Brown – she did not really want to spend the entire evening talking about the last dress shop in town or the last fashionable cosmetics. And thus she had found herself sitting at the end of the table with no one on her left and Kingsley Shacklebot chatting with one person – a member of the Order – she did not really know on her right. It had been a terrible evening. She was happy to see that Harry was glad of his little party but she would be even happier when it would be over.

The big cake had just been served when a shadow appeared in the threshold of the room. Snape had been delayed and just arrived. How Harry had succeeded in making some truce with the Potions professor after they left Hogwarts was a mystery to Hermione. But they seemed to be on "friendlier" terms and Professor Snape even lived in Harry's house when he was not in Hogwarts. The professor mumbled some excuse and went to sit in the only chair available around the table.

The party then moved to a bigger room in the house where everything had been pushed aside for a dancefloor. Music was reasoning loudly in the room and everyone was enjoying themselves. Hermione would have too if her dizziness had not started again after her first dance with Fred. Fred had had the brilliant idea of making her spin around him. She had had to stop and sit. Damn explosion! Just when she started to enjoy the party!

She sat for a few minutes watching the dancers. She was surprised to see how well McGonagall could actually still dance. Dumbledore was not that bad either. But watching all of them moving and spinning did not make her dizziness go away – on the contrary – and she decided to retreat to Grimmauld Place.

She apparated there. She wasn't tired yet and had to find another occupation. Hermione – being the little bookworm we all know – naturally ended up in the library of the old house. When she came in the room was barely lit up and there was just enough light coming from the fireplace for her to see the titles of the books.

The library was not huge but is was comfy. She had rediscovered it the night she arrived in the house and spent most of her time there for research or leisure – both were sometimes synonymous. The walls were covered with shelves from floor to ceiling. Some armchairs had been placed here and there in the room. A big sofa and two other armchairs had been put in front of the fireplace. The floor had been covered with carpets that looked fluffy enough to walk on them barefooted.

Hermione started to look at the different shelves and read the titles of the books in order to decide which one she would read. There were so many subjects. There were not as many books as in the library of Hogwarts – of course – but she found really interesting books and subjects. She spent some minutes studying and flipping through as many books as she could when she decided to move on to another shelf. And that's when she heard a deep voice coming from one of the corner of the room.

"I wouldn't read any of the books on this shelf if I were you Miss Granger."

She startled.


	3. Headache

**Chapter 3 : Headache**

She was startled. She hadn't noticed her former professor but apparently Snape had been sitting there before she even arrived for she had not heard him enter.

"I hadn't seen you, Sir" She said as an excuse. She knew the man was not really keen on sharing his private space. Moreover, as a bookworm herself, she knew that she did not like to be disturbed when reading a good book – or just any book now that she thought of it.

"Obviously." He said and went back to his reading.

She looked at him for a few seconds and moved on to a new shelf. But Hermione was a stubborn girl and she could not repress the desire to look at the books he had just adviced her against reading.

"How come I can't read these books?" She said turning around to face him.

"I never said you couldn't."

She rolled her eyes. He had not changed at all.

"Well, why are you saying that you would not read these books if you were me."

Snape sighed. He knew he shouldn't have opened his mouth. That was what happened when you started talking to a know-it-all who wanted to know it all.

"Because, we're in a house which had been owned by the Black family. And as any Dark Pureblood family, there is a risk for some of these books dealing with Dark Magic to be cursed."

"Ah" Hermione said. She felt stupid.

"And besides, it's summer and I'm not obliged to look after dunderheads for the moment. Therefore I would like to have a quiet evening without any accident involving Dark Magic, thank you very much. So could you refrain yourself from acting stupidly?" And with these words he went back to read his own book.

His words were harsh. But he was right – not that she ever acted stupidly –, she better be careful tonight. Not that she wanted to spare his evening, but more because she didn't want to ruin Harry's party – if she ended up in St Mungo's or worse he would certainly be the first to rush to see her. So, she moved to another shelf and picked up a book on spells and curses. She settled comfortably on the sofa in front of the fireplace.

From his seat, Snape, who had first continued to read his book, was now looking at the woman who had disturbed his evening. He liked to come here in the library of the Black family whenever he stayed at Grimmauld Place. It had always been a quiet room where no one went to bother him. Nobody living at Potter's was very fond of books and he was quite happy with that. But now that the bushy-haired know-it-all had arrived, things were bond to be different he was sure.

After a few hours reading, Snape started to change his mind about Miss Granger. She may have been annoying in class but when she was reading she was very quiet. He even wondered what kind of book she had picked up. She seemed so engrossed in her reading. He had never seen anyone so captivated by a book before. If she was that quiet every time, maybe he would tolerate her.

She was so absorbed in her book that she did not know how long she had been reading. The book she had found was fascinating and she had discovered very interesting spells and curses. Most of them she had never heard of. Some of them required some special preparations before using them. Other had to be performed with the help of some potions and some others could only be cast by people having some specific characteristics.

It was mesmerizing. She was entranced by all the drawings that reproduced the patterns one had to do with their wand to cast these spells. Most of the curses even had their counter-curse explained. It was wonderful.

She had to study this book in details. She might find something useful for the Order. But not now, she felt a little bit tired and her dizziness had not yet disappeared. Maybe, if she laid down on the sofa for a few minutes she would then be able to focus and study this book a bit more.

* * *

Hermione did not know how long she slept but she woke up with a start. She had had a nightmare. She had just dreamt that the Death-Eaters had come back for her after their failed attempt to kill her in the explosion. She had been running from them for a good part of her nightmare and was sweating as if she had run for real. The heat from the fireplace didn't help. But unfortunately her dizziness had not vanished. Plus a headache which was starting between her temples. She went to take the book next to her but found nothing. Where did it go? Was it some kind of book that you should never close or else it would disappear and be lost forever? Damn, she should have taken notes! All hopes were now gone.

"Could you stop fidgeting like a child?"

Hermione was startled once again by the deep voice of the professor. She turned her head and saw that he had come to sit in one of the armchairs next to the sofa.

"But, it's my book!" She said a little bit more loudly than she had intended to.

He only rose an eyebrow. How strange a girl she was!

"It's my book professor." She repeated.

"Yes, I heard you the first time you know. It's not because I'm older than you that I am deaf. And besides, it's not _your_ book, it's a book you've just found on one of the shelf." He replied calmly.

"Yes. But… I thought… Well, I had a… and…. Well,… Never mind." She gave up on her explanation. The truth was she had just been surprised of not seeing the book on the sofa and in the aftermath of her nightmare had extrapolated some nonsensical explanation in her head. So typical of her.

"What's happening? The little know-it-all does not know how to explain herself? Such a shame." He said with something in his eyes that betrayed something like a certain degree of amusement. Was he teasing her?

"Forget it. Can I just have the book back now?"

As she said that, he rose from his seat and gave it back to her. Then, as he directed himself to his armchair in the corner of the room – probably to continue reading his own book – he said:

"Interesting book you've found Miss Granger. I would be interested in studying it a bit further once you are finished with it."

She nodded and came back to her reading. This time, she summoned a notebook and a pen to take notes. This curse she had seen before her nap had looked really promising. She found the right page and started to read the instructions in details. The effect of this curse would be the permanent death of any wizards by the destruction of their body and soul. The part about the soul was especially interesting regarding who they were dealing with. The person cursed would be completely erased from the surface of the earth and would not even exist in the realm of the spirits.

The curse could really be a key element in the defeat of Voldemort. But as a lot of curses that are not well-known, it was bound be a difficult one to cast. From what she could read, the incantation had to be made at a specific moment. To determine this special moment several elements had to be taken into consideration. From what Hermione understood from this first reading, arithmancy would be greatly involved in establishing the proper date when the curse could be cast and would be the most efficient. But that was not all, several wizards had to cast the spell at the same time. It could not be any wizards either – no, it would be too simple for such a curse – the wizards had to gather some specificities that were listed in the book. And then there was the part about the potions, the person cursed as well as the wizards performing the curse had to drink some in order to enhance the effects. Unfortunately, the instructions for the potions seemed to have been written in an obscure old language. She would have to work on that as well.

After having listed all these elements, she noticed the complex pattern and the also complex magic formula that they would have to use. Looking at her notes, she sighed and rubbed her forehead – the headache was still here. It represented a lot of work. She would have to talk about it at the next Order meeting. She hoped that the others would agree with her that it could be the best solution. She knew that it would be a long way before the curse could be cast but it was their best chance she was sure. But she was not going to stop there in her research.

"Could you stop doing this noise?" Snape said from his chair in the darkest corner of the room.

She had almost forgotten he was here.

"Sorry?" Hermione said. She had no idea what he was talking about.

"Exhaling all the air from your lungs every other minute is not going to relieve you from any pain you might have."

Couldn't he leave her alone? Was it an obsessive compulsive disorder of him to snap remarks at people every time he opened his mouth? Hermione respected the man but he was sometimes really annoying. She had endured his snide comments during her whole time at Hogwarts but now that she was an adult she was fed up with his attitude.

"Thank you for the advice. I'll take notes. Thank you." Hermione replied sarcastically as she gathered all her things, prepared to leave the room. A good – or not so good – night of sleep was waiting ahead. She had almost reached the door when he talked again.

"Where are you in pain?"

"I beg you pardon?" She said turning around.

She was not sure she had heard him well. Surely he was not asking after her well-being. It was so out of character.

"Where are you in pain?"

Yes, he did. He did ask.

"My head."

"Come." And with that he stood up and left the room.

Hermione was so surprised that it took her a few seconds before she followed him. This man was really unpredictable. They went down a flight of stairs and arrived in front of a wooden door. They were in the basement apparently. Hermione had never really explored the house before and she did not know that there were rooms in this part of the house. Having been owned by such a family as the Blacks and Kreacher having lived there alone for so long, she had never taken the risk to wander on her own in the house.

"This is the potion laboratory your friend kindly allows me to use. It is not because I let you in today that I grant you the right to enter it whenever it pleases you." Snape said.

Hermione nodded. She was so surprised to hear that there was a potion lab in the house. She would have to ask Harry about the other rooms. She did not imagine that there would be a spare laboratory but regarding the mission the Order had given her she would be glad to have her own working space. Snape opened the door and they came in.

Inside was the most beautiful and most organised potion lab she had ever seen. Three working tables with all the equipment necessary to a potions master stood there. The tables were all made in some kind of black marble. The different cauldrons in the rooms seemed all to be made out of all sorts of fine materials: brass , copper, lead, and she imagined platinum cauldrons were set all around the space. There was even one in the back of the room that Hermione was sure was made of silver. It was breath-taking.

Snape headed to the right of the room where Hermione noticed some cupboards. When the professor opened one of them, she could see that they were full of potions. A great variety of potions judging by the different colours and the different types of vials there were.

As Snape looked for a potion in his cupboards, Hermione could not help but notice the wall at the back of the room. It was covered with shelves which were full of books. Instinctively her feet brought her to the books. It was incredible! He had an impressive collection of the rarest magical books.

"Here, it is a pain reliever."

Hermione gladly took it and drank it bottoms up. It took a few minutes only before the headache was gone. It was of really good quality. Once the pain gone, she refocused on the books on the shelf in front of her.

"Could I –" She said but was immediately stopped by the professor.

"No"

"But you don't even know what I'm going to ask."

"You want to borrow some of my books."

"How –"

"So predictable."

"But –" She hated his remarks but she was too sad to respond.

She noticed a book of her own collection which reminded her of all the things she had lost in the explosion.

"Can I just borrow this one? Just for tonight. I'll bring it back to you tomorrow." She tried again.

Snape came closer to the shelf to look at the book she wanted. _Hogwarts, a History_. One of the most common books he owned. He had expected more from the girl. Of all the books he had, she couldn't have chosen a less interesting one. He had many rare books, some of them had just been edited once or twice. And of all the books she wanted, it was this one. Every wizard owned it. Not that it was completely uninteresting, there were some things and stories that were mesmerising in it – that is why he had kept it – but Miss Granger's choice was peculiar. She may not be as predictable as he had just said.

"Why? The most famous know-it-all do not know this book? Not a true know-it-all after all."

Hermione bowed her head. It may be ridiculous but she was sentimentally attached to this book. It was the first wizarding book she had ever read. And her own copy had been turned into dust. It was a part of her life which had disappeared yesterday. She had not really had the time to think about it since she had arrived at Grimmauld Place but here it was: the feeling of having lost a part of herself.

"I had it." She mumbled.

"Sorry?"

"I HAD IT!" She shouted. All the rage against his attitude and all the emotions she had kept in since the explosion suddenly burst out in this shout.

She left the lab and ran to her room. She slammed the door shut and throw herself on her bed. She started crying. She had not had the time to really think about what had happened. Everyone around her had been so kind and so inclined to distract her from the explosion. True, there were no victims because the building was empty when it happened and yet she was a victim nonetheless. All her life had been in this small flat. All her souvenirs. Her books. Her pictures from her time at Hogwarts. Muggle pictures of her and her parents. All that was gone.

 **N/A: What did you think? Shall I continue?**


	4. The greenhouse

**Here is the new chapter. I hope you'll like it. Pardon me for any mistakes you find, I'm not an English native speaker.**

 **Thank you for the few reviews I got.**

 **Chapter 5 – The Greenhouse**

Hermione woke up the next morning. It was still rather early and everyone in the house was still sleeping. Or were they?

When she entered the kitchen she found a vial of pain reliever with her name labelled on it on the table. She sat down and drank the full content of the vial.

The window of the kitchen offered a nice view of Twelve Grimmauld Place's little garden. The sun was not high in the sky yet and it gave a nice colour to this little piece of nature.

Hermione made herself a cup of tea. And while the water boiled, she contemplated the garden reflecting on her life and the events of the night before. Maybe the book had made her overreact and poor Snape had unfortunately been at the receiving end of her anger and frustration. It had triggered some emotions that she had buried deep inside but which were finally better out. She had needed to cry and to let out all of her fears and anger. It was consuming to keep all these tensions inside. And suddenly it had been too hard to keep them all in.

Since she had left Hogwarts things had escalated. Being a Muggleborn was no longer safe. Sometimes Hermione thought that she would have been better in the Muggle world not knowing about magic. And at the same time the Wizarding world had offered her things she didn't have before. Friends for a start, Harry and Ron were the best and she couldn't imagine her life without them. And whereas she had been a weirdo at school before, she had then found her place in Hogwarts.

She did know how long she spent musing on her life but it must have been longer than she intended to because she started to hear people moving around in the house. And a few minutes later, a not fully awake Harry Potter entered the kitchen.

"Hello" she said.

"Hi" he answered without even looking at her.

Harry was not a morning person and it was better not to speak to him before his first coffee. Hermione watched him and thought again about how lucky she was to have such friends. Once his first coffee drank he seemed to notice her and smiled.

"Hello Hermione. Did you have a great time yesterday? I didn't see you much."

His smile was so genuine and he seemed to have spent one of the best days of his life. Hermione did not want to bother him with her unhappiness.

"Yes, great. I went to bed early though. You know the dizziness and all."

"Oh, are you alright?" He asked, concern written all over his face.

"Yes. Don't worry. The healers said it will disappear with time. Let's hope that it won't take too long."

Harry smiled. He loved Hermione as a sister.

The two of them remained silent for a while before Hermione noticed a kind of distortion in the garden. A kind of shimmer at the far end of it. The kind of those you can see during summer on a road when the tarmac is too hot and the landscape seems to dance. It was really curious, as if there were some kind of spell. Something must have been hidden in the garden. Harry never mentioned anything.

"Harry?" She asked.

"Yes?"

"What's this in the garden?" She said pointing towards where the thing was supposedly concealed.

He rose from his seat and went next to her to see what she meant.

"Oh, this. Nothing. It's just the greenhouse we hid with an invisibility spell."

"The greenhouse? Since when do you have a greenhouse at Grimmauld? I did not know you had a thing for plants."

"I don't. Snape has."

"Professor Snape Harry!"

"Yes. Professor Snape. Well, he was kind of bored last summer and wanted to brew some potions. We thought that it would not be bad to have some of them at home and so we transformed one of the rooms into a lab. And Snape built the greenhouse in the garden."

"Why is it concealed? And why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, it's just a greenhouse. I didn't know it'd interest you. And it's hidden because Snape is Snape. Always paranoid!"

"Harry" She admonished.

"Sorry. You can go if you want. From what he said, if you come close enough and you know what you're looking for, it will appear to you. I never tried. I don't need anything in it. Ginny went once. She said it was nice."

And with this last sentence, he left the room probably to go back to his beloved fiancé.

She remained looking at the garden for a moment before succumbing to the temptation of exploring the greenhouse. Grimmauld was full of surprise. A few days ago, it was just the plain house where Harry and Ginny lived and now it had become a place full of people and full of secret rooms she yearned to explore.

Hermione went out and approached the place where the invisibility spell was "visible". Suddenly, the whole glasshouse appeared. It seemed really big but Hermione could not exactly see what was inside. She pushed the door open and what she saw inside left her flabbergasted. It was so much bigger on the inside!

From where she stood, she could not see the end of it. It really was spectacular. It started with a kind of tropical forest. It was the kind of forest you could see in a zoo where they recreate the habitat of tropical species. There were enormous trees, giant plants, roots coming out everywhere and very beautiful flowers which released marvellous smells. She could even hear some birds and see butterflies here and there. A bit further on her left she distinguished what seemed to be working tables, probably a place to tend to the different plant or prepare them. Further on her right was a traditional garden with vegetables, herbs and flowers.

Hermione started to walk in this tropical forest mesmerized by all the plants and the soothing feeling of the greenhouse. She was entranced by the colours and the harmony which emerged from this organised chaos. She continued straight forward and at one point arrived in a part of the greenhouse she could not see from the entrance.

It was an orchard. Several trees – not really big mind you – were aligned and the ground was covered with one of the greenest and most inviting grass Hermione had ever seen. This place was perfect. It was so peaceful. The temperature was nice, not too cold and not too hot just perfect.

It was exactly the place Hermione was looking for to forget about the world outside. She spent a few moments to explore the orchard and then chose a tree against which she sat. She closed her eyes and a few seconds later she drifted off.

* * *

Severus had spent the morning in his lab. The events of the night before still in his mind. And he was not really sure to have understood everything.

He had always been a very private man due to his status of spy. And even before. But he was growing tired of it. Not that he would ever admit it to anyone. And so he had first been annoyed at being disturbed in "his" library. But then when he had seen Miss Granger, he had been relieved. She was not the most annoying person he could find in household. True, she had been a pain when she was a student but this time seemed far away now.

He had observed her from his dark corner while she was moving through the different shelves. Severus had been entranced by her delicate moves and the way she carefully picked the books. She had been dangerously close to him at some point and he had felt obliged to make her aware of his presence.

He had thought she would leave after that. But the bushy haired woman wouldn't go. Severus was a contradictory man. He wished he could escape his solitude. But at the same time he loathed being disturbed while reading a good book.

She had remained in the library. And he had then had plenty of time to study her. Severus had not really kept in touch with his former students and they had not either – who would? He had only met them briefly during some meetings but that was all.

There with the light of the fireplace he had been able to notice all the changes in her. She had grown into a nice woman. He was fascinated by her hands and the way she turned the pages. From where he had been, he had been able to see the nape of her neck for she had put her hair in a bun. It was delicate and her skin had seemed so smooth.

She had been so engrossed in her book that Severus had almost felt jealous for not having found the book before her. And so when Miss Granger had fallen asleep, he had taken this opportunity to study it by himself. Little did he know that she was a light sleeper and she had woken up not long after Severus had sat in the armchair next to the sofa.

Once the book reluctantly returned to her, he had come back to his dark corner. He had then tried to focus on his reading but had pathetically failed. Her presence had been so mesmerising. What had been happening to him? For a moment, he had thought he would leave the place without a word. But then the idea of engaging the conversation had been too tempting and he had seized the opportunity of offering her a pain reliever.

At first, he had not really thought she would follow him but then she had. He had been a little afraid of showing her the lab for he was sure that a flock of questions would follow. But there was none and he had found her entranced by his own library.

He had tried some kind of humour. But Severus was not really good at it. And she had fled the room. He had imagined that she would react like that. It had comforted him in the idea that he was not meant to have any friends. And so he had spent part of the night reading alone in his lab. Feeling somewhat disturbed by the girl's reaction, he had prepared a new vial of pain reliever for her.

And now, here he was, in "his" greenhouse. The place was soothing and whenever he felt the need to change his mind he came there to tend to the different plants or just walk. And today was one of these moments where he needed peace. He entered the greenhouse and went directly to the garden where he picked up some herbs that he needed for his potions. He then went to the working tables to chop them. The temperature was nice enough for a walk but once you started working it became a little bit too hot. And so Severus rolled up his sleeves.

Most people saw that kind of work as tiresome and uninteresting. But he liked it. Working with the plants and preparing them for his potions were moments when he could allow himself to think of anything he wanted.

The trees were starting to blossom in the orchard. After a while, he decided to take a walk amongst the trees. That was when he saw her. She was sitting against a tree, her eyes closed. He took a moment to observe her. Even if it was obvious from the dark under her eyes that she had not slept well or enough, she was still beautiful. Even more beautiful now that he could observe her in broad day light.

Severus shook his head to get rid of this idea. Yes, he felt lonely and wished sometimes for some "friends". But no more than that. Beautiful or not was not relevant at the moment.

* * *

Hermione felt really comfortable against her cherry tree but after some times she felt a presence. At first, she thought it was only her imagination. But then the feeling of someone watching her remained.

She opened slowly her eyes and saw him. Professor Snape was standing a few feet away from her. He was wearing only black trousers and a white shirt. His sleeves were rolled up which allowed her to see his bare forearms. Hermione could distinguish the faint shadow of what had to be the Dark Mark. People were often repelled by this sight, but Hermione was not. She knew the man and what he was doing for the Order and the Wizarding world.

Snape would never allow anyone to see that much of him. He seemed defenceless. And therefore she first thought that she was still dreaming. But then he started talking.

"I see that you've found another way to spy on me" He said with something that looked vaguely like a smile in his eyes but which could not be since it was Professor Snape talking.

She stood up quickly.

"I'm sorry." She said with resignation.

This place was too good to be true. Hermione had finally found a place where she had felt at peace but had forgotten that it was Snape's. She would have to find somewhere else to go.

As Hermione passed the professor, he grabbed her elbow lightly. But as soon as she turned around to face him, he let it go quickly as if he had been burnt.

"You can stay. There's enough place for the two of us."

And with that he went back to whatever he had been doing before. As she watched his back, she wondered if she had heard him correctly. Was it some kind of way for Snape to offer a truce? And then she thought that he had no truce to offer. There was no real animosity between the two of them. And she had been the one shouting at him the night before.

* * *

Severus fulminated against himself. He was not good at making friends. And once again someone had misunderstood him. How pathetic he was.

He should better go back to his herbs and go pluck this African orchid he needed for his potions. He did not notice that Miss Granger had followed him until she spoke.

"I'm sorry" She said in a whisper.

He turned around to face her. He rose a questioning eyebrow and said:

"What for?"

"I'm a bit hyper-sensitive at the moment with the explosion and all and I didn't mean to shout at you yesterday." She said looking at her shoes.

"Alright."

And that was the only answer Severus could manage. He did not know how to deal with people. Maybe he should apologise for his tone, or whatever he should apologise for but he didn't know how. Yet, his answer seemed to be enough for Hermione because she took a seat and watched him work.

He did not really like being watched. And so to distract her from focusing too much on him, Severus said the first thing that came to his mind.

"Did you find something interesting in the book?"

Hermione was surprised to hear him starting a light conversation. But her surprise lasted a few seconds. After all, Snape would be the best person to discuss with about her research. And the spell and potion she had found the day before were complicated. She would gladly receive some of his advice. And so she went on to explain to him the details of her findings while he kept on chopping the different herbs on the working table.

"Do you think you could help me with the potion then?" She said to conclude her short report.

A few seconds passed before Snape decided to answer. The seconds seemed hours to Hermione.

Severus Snape was not known to act instinctively. And so he took some times to think about her proposal. What may seem to be a very insignificant question for Hermione was much more complex for Snape. If he answered yes, he would have another thing to hide to Voldemort when the monster would look inside his mind. The more he knew the more risks there were for the Order if the unthinkable happened. But if he answered no, he would get very frustrated. Granger's mission was something which arose his curiosity. The same dilemma that he had faced his whole life was here again: should he think of the interest of the Wizarding world or should he satisfy his own interest for once?

"If you have some questions and I am available, you can come to me." Snape answered. Here was the perfect answer. It did not seem too forward and at the same time he did not answer no.

Hermione seemed happy with his answer as she smiled lightly to his answer. But of course, Snape did not notice as he had his head lowered towards his herbs.

After a few minutes watching her former professor work, Hermione decided to let the man on his own. She knew he valued his solitude and did not want to impose on him.

* * *

During the following days, Hermione went regularly to the greenhouse. Sometimes it was just to walk in the orchard or the tropical forest. But most of the time it was to study or read a book. She would sit against a tree – she had found a very nice one which had a comfortable hole in the tropical part not far from the working tables – and read in silence, sometimes taking notes.

Snape was often there when he was not out on some mission or purchasing some errands. He would work at the working tables or would be attending to the different plants in the garden or the vegetable patch.

At first, both had thought that sharing the same space would be a bit awkward. But in the end, when they happened to be in the greenhouse at the same time they were so engrossed in their own activity that neither of them minded the presence of the other.

They even had started to like sharing these moments. The house was not what one could call as crowded but the people living there or passing by were not very keen on respecting either Snape's or Hermione's solitude or need of silence. So the greenhouse was a very much appreciated place to be and to study.

Occasionally, Hermione would ask a precision to the dark man about a problem of translation for the formula or the potion or about the characteristics of a particular ingredient. Severus would always answer but in a concise manner. The man remained true to himself even outside Hogwarts or far from the looks of others, there was no need to talk more than necessary. Hermione had been a bit disappointed at first for she was not at all like that. But then she had come to appreciate the simple fact that he accepted her in here and answered her questions.

As for Severus, these moments shared with the young woman had first sent him on edges. He had not really been sure she would accept his offer to come to the greenhouse as often as she liked. But she did. And she came often. So he had resigned himself to share his private place with Granger. Deep inside – and even if he would never acknowledge that – he was glad to have such company. Even if she was a bit talkative, she would never ask dumb questions. And that was a big change comparing to the rest of the year when he was teaching in Hogwarts.

* * *

Today, Hermione had risen early and was in a rather good mood. She went to the greenhouse and started by taking a little walk in the orchard. The trees were beautiful with all the different shades of green in the leaves. At the foot of the trees, she noticed very nice flowers. She went to pick some in order to put them after in a vase in her room.

After this little walk, she directed herself to the working tables to read a bit more and work on the spell and potion she had found.

When she arrived at the tables, Severus Snape was already there. He had brought a cauldron and the material that went with it and was working on a potion. She settled on a working table not far from his and started reading.

After a few minutes, Hermione was startled by her former professor addressing her.

"Could you stop doing that?" he said with a touch of annoyance in his voice.

She looked up at him. Hermione did not understand what he meant. He had his back to her and was stirring his potion.

"Sorry?" She said and he turned around to face her.

"The flowers, their pollen might compromise my potion. You should be more careful." He said pointing at something above Hermione's head. And with that he went back to his potion.

Hermione looked above her head and saw the flowers dancing in the air. As soon as she saw them, the flowers fell back on the table near the book.

"Sorry."

"Are you often prone to that kind of action?" He asked after a few seconds but still not looking at her.

"When I'm in a good mood and reading something interesting apparently. Harry and Ron have often asked me to stop making quills or other objects dance above me." She said with a blush.

Hermione had developed this capacity towards the end of her time at Hogwarts. She did not know what to do with that but had not really had the time to work on this new ability.

"While it's very impressive and a rare ability, could you refrain from doing that in here from now on or learn how to control yourself?"

"I'll try." Hermione answered feeling like an eleven-year old school girl again. It was very much like Severus Snape to make a disguised compliment and at the same time belittling the receiving end of his remarks.

After that, Hermione tried to control herself while reading. But she was concentrating too much and was not really focused on the content of the book so she decided to take a break. She went to sit in the hole of the tropical tree just next to the working tables.

From there she could observe the dark man working. He had rolled up his sleeves again. The fact that he did not mind her seeing his forearms made her wonder if he trusted her somehow.

She had never properly observed the man and she now took the time to do so. He had put down his coat on one of the high stools and was wearing only black trousers and shoes, a black waistcoat and a pristine white shirt. He was tall and lean. A bit too thin to Hermione's taste, but years of spying and stress might have done that. She noticed his long hands. They were gorgeous Hermione thought. She shook her head at that thought – where did this idea come from? He was her – former – professor for heaven's sake.

Yet, she continued her study of his person. After a few minutes of observing him she noticed a kind of tension in his shoulders and back. Every now and then he would straighten his back as if it hurt him and she saw his hands gripping more tightly from time to time the stirring rod or whatever he was holding. It was as if he continuously experienced some kind of pain. It aroused Hermione's curiosity. She may be bold but not enough as to ask him about his spasms. It was too private.

She closed her eyes for a few moments. But as she was drifting to sleep, she heard a hiss coming from the man.

Severus was grasping his left arm as if he was in pain. Hermione immediately thought that he had burned himself with something he had been working on. But it was very unlike Snape to be so clumsy. She rose on her feet and started to approach him.

He looked up at her.

"Don't" he hissed.

Severus hated to have been caught in such a moment. But Hermione was no child and not naïve. Spending time together as they were, she was bond to witness a summon at one point.

"Could you put the potion under a stasis charm? And tell Dumbledore that I have been called?"

And with that he swiftly left. Hermione's eyes opened wide when she understood what had just happened. And almost as suddenly a feeling of angst settled in her chest.

 **N/A: Did you enjoy?**


	5. The Ministry

**N/A Thank you for the reviews. I hope you'll enjoy this new chapter.**

 **Chapter 5: The Ministry**

It took several minutes for Hermione to move after the shock of the revelation that Severus Snape had gone to see the Dark Lord himself. She quickly went to the cauldron and put a stasis charm on it before leaving the greenhouse.

She arrived panting before the door of the room that was Dumbledore's office when he was at Grimmauld Place. She knocked and waited anxiously for an answer. When she heard the headmaster calling for her, she came in.

Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, probably lost in his thoughts.

"Miss Granger," he said with a smile. "How are you today?"

"Professor Snape has been summoned by the Dark Lord" She said bluntly not even bothering herself to answer the old man's question.

At her words, Dumbledore frowned. It was the beginning of the afternoon and it was rare for Severus to be called at such an early hour in the day. Something was not right. But his face relaxed and it was as if nothing serious just happened.

"Curious." He said pensively and then offered one of his biggest smiles to Hermione. "Don't worry dear. Severus will be back soon. He is used to that. No need to get anxious. Just go back to what you were doing, take a cup of tea or go relax in your room. We do not really want you worrying unnecessarily. We need you focused and in good shape to find something that will help us in this war." And with these words he dismissed her.

Hermione was so surprised by the attitude of her former headmaster that she did not reply and went out of the room. How could he react so calmly? The professor had just gone to face the most dangerous wizard of their time for God's sake! It was as if because he was used to do that it was not dangerous and there was not a thing to worry about. But there was. God knows what could happen.

The fact that Hermione had come to appreciate the companionship of her former professor made her more concerned about him. What she had known before without really registering it was suddenly becoming really real. Severus Snape was a spy. And he often met the Dark Lord.

Once the door closed behind her, her foot drove her to the library where she grabbed a book and sat before the fireplace. There was no fire lit because it was summer but there was something comforting about sitting close to it. She opened the book but did not read it and instead stared at the consumed logs which remained in the hearth.

She lost herself in her thoughts. The reality of the war had been really harsh on her these last few days: the explosion, the mission that had been given to her and now the summons of Voldemort that Snape had to endure.

She did not know how long she spent musing on the war but suddenly she heard a big crash in the corridor. She went to see the reason of the noise.

In the corridor had arrived at least five members of the Order. There were Dedalus Diggle, Elphias Doge, Hestia Jones and two other people that Hermione had only seen once or twice – they were members who assisted the Order occasionally – Peter Badluk and Helen Mishape.

The door of Twelve Grimmauld Place was open. And apart from Hestia Jones who leant against one of the walls of the corridors, the others lay on the floor. Hestia Jones seemed out of breath and had a scratch on her left cheek. Her hand gripped tightly her wand as if she had not realised that she was now out of danger – or was she? Dedalus Diggle lay on his left side and seemed to have been hit with a curse somewhere near his right hip as his clothes were torn there. Peter Badluk and Elphias Doge were not moving and several smears of blood could be seen on their robes. Helen Mishape was in a really bad shape. Her right arm seemed to have suffered from some kind of twisting spell as it lay down on the floor at an unhealthy angle and she was breathing heavily with difficulty. The corridor smelled of blood, perspiration and angst. Tension could be felt in the air.

Dumbledore, Harry, McGonagall and Remus Lupin had already arrived in the corridor when Hermione showed up.

"Harry, Remus, could you help us bring them to the living room? They need space." Dumbledore said gesturing for the two men to hurry up. "Miss Granger, dear. Could you floo Poppy and ask her to come at once? We will need her here." Hermione nodded. "And because you will soon be a healer we will also need your help. Go to Severus' potion lab. I'm sure you'll find potions and concoctions that will help us with our poor colleagues."

Hermione nodded again and hurried down to the kitchen where she directed herself immediately to the fireplace. There she flooed Poppy and asked her to come. She explained briefly the little she knew about the situation and Poppy Pomfrey stepped out of the fireplace.

Then Hermione went to the basement where the potion lab was. She hesitated a few seconds before opening the door. She did not really like going in the room of someone else uninvited. And Severus Snape would certainly not appreciate that someone would rummage through his things. But today was not a normal day and the five members of the Order of the Phoenix upstairs needed her help. Sure Poppy Pomfrey had come with a few potions but they would certainly need more.

Hermione opened the door, took what she could and hurried up upstairs in the living room where the five victims had been put. There she went to one of them and so attended Elphias Doge. Hestia Jones was sitting on one of the sofa in the room and Ginny was cleaning her wounds. Peter Badluk seemed to get better and Nymphadora Tonks who had just arrived was taking care of him. Apparently he had just been knocked off by a spell. McGonagall worked on Dedalus Diggle's wounds and Madam Pomfrey concerned herself with the most worrying case: Helen Mishape.

Hermione took care of the different scratches on Doge's torso with the help of some potions, ointments and bandages. She cast a monitoring spell and discovered that he had been hit by a sleeping curse. She tried the counter-curses she knew. After three attempts, she found the right one and gave him a pepper-up potion.

Once she had finished with Elphias Doge. She let him recover on his own and directed herself to Poppy. The nurse was still attending Helen Mishape. She had treated her arm first and was now working on the rest of her injuries.

It was only five minutes after Hermione had started to help Madam Pomfrey that she asked her to perform a very serious spell.

"Dear," Pomfrey said seriously. "Helen's heart is slowing. Do you know the spell to prevent it from stopping?"

Hermione nodded but she did not really like what the nurse asked of her. This spell was a pretty advanced one. And Hermione was only at the beginning of her training as healer. She was not really confident that she could manage. Her worry must have been written all over her face because Poppy smiled reassuringly to her.

"It's going to be alright Hermione. All you have to do is repeat the formula and this pattern with your wand while I'm attending Helen and trying to determine how to save her." She said while making the pattern with her own wand to show Hermione.

Our favourite know-it-all cast the spell muttering the formula and drawing the pattern in the air while Poppy Pomfrey worked. But after a dozen of minutes, Poppy stopped.

"It's finished" She said. "I can't do anything more. She's gone"

Everyone was around them. Poppy started to clean the mess she had done around her with all the vials and compresses used. But Hermione was still reciting the spell and wandwaving in the air.

Poppy Pomfrey had to put her hand on Hermione's arm to stop her.

"That's enough dear. We did what we could. But the curses were too dark and powerful and the gashes too deep. The combination of the two made her rescue almost impossible." The nurse said in a grave tone.

At her words, Hermione stopped. And the tears rose to her big brown eyes. She was still training to become a healer and it was the first death of a patient.

"It's okay to feel sad. But you have nothing to regret or to be sorry for. We did what we could. It's hard but you could not have done better dear." Poppy continued her soothing words for a few moments before leaving the room.

Tears were now falling down Hermione's cheeks. She cried in silence, still looking at Helen Mishape. War was cruel. Everybody knew that but when you witnessed it first-hand it was much harder. She raised her head and saw Harry. He smiled sadly to her and came closer. The situation saddened him. And so he took his best friend in his arms in silence. Hermione put her arms around the thin frame of the Boy-Who-Lived and continued to cry in silence. It was nervous. Ginny came next to her and patted her on her back. Tears were also running down her cheeks.

From the corner of her eyes, Hermione saw the shadow of someone passing by quickly in the corridor. And she instinctively knew that it was Snape. More tears flowed down her cheeks. She was relieved to know that the professor was safe and sound.

They remained there for a few minutes. The harsh reality sinking in these three young souls.

After they had left the living room, Harry, Ginny and Hermione went to the kitchen where an emergency meeting of the Order of the Phoenix was held. And from what they could hear, they had not bothered waiting for them as the voices had already risen in the small room.

"But what happened exactly?" Remus Lupin asked.

"From Hestia's testimony, it seems that Deatheaters came in the Ministry and attacked everyone." Dumbledore explained calmly. "I contacted our new minister Kingsley Shackelbot and apparently several people were killed or injured."

"How come we did not know about this attack?" Arthur Weasley – who had arrived at Dumbledore's call – asked.

"Apparently it has only been decided minutes before the attack. It was totally unpredictable." The old wizard answered.

"Or it wasn't and somebody lied to us." Moody said, his eyes scanning the corner of the room where Snape stood.

"Moody" Snape hissed menacingly.

"If you cannot do your job as a spy maybe it's because you are not our spy but theirs." Mad-Eye added gripping his wand more tightly.

"Nonsense" Snape replied.

Moody Mad-Eye started to approach Severus Snape with his wand raised. But Dumbledore stopped them.

"Boys, boys. Keep calm. We are all stressed and sad about what happened. But we should remain united."

"I certainly don't want to be united to a traitor like him." Moody hissed, both of his eyes fixed on the dark silhouette opposite to him.

At these words, Snape moved from his corner and swiftly drew closer to the one-eyed Auror. If it had not been for Dumbledore raising his arms and putting himself between the two, the rest of the members of the Order would have witnessed a bloody duel.

"Boys. You will keep calm. I will not tolerate such accusations or reactions in the Order. We are all together fighting the same evil. Severus is our spy. Period. You all know that. What happened today was, I repeat, unpredictable. Instead of fighting ourselves, we should grieve and think of a way for this to not happen again." Dumbledore said with his calm but which inspired respect voice. "Severus, did you learn why you were sent on this mission?"

"Because he was amongst them?" Moody yelled.

"Alastor!" Dumbledore said to stop the man.

"Yes, I was amongst them." Snape started. "From what the Dark Lord told us. The majority of us were here as a diversion. A few of his followers were designated to go and find something precise in the department of mysteries. A kind of artefact which could play a role in his victory. That's all I know."

"What a useful spy!" Mad-Eye muttered.

Snape threw him a dark glare.

"Now if that's all you wanted, seeing as I am not very welcomed in here, I'll leave you to your meeting."

And before Dumbledore answered, the black man left the room.

Hermione was flabbergasted by what had just happened. Severus Snape was their spy and that was how he was treated by the rest of the members of the Order? True Alastor Moody had been the only one to accuse Snape but nobody else besides Dumbledore had moved to defend him. She was sure that most of them simply did not want to cross the old Auror but she knew deep inside that some of them agreed with him. She felt outraged.

The meeting continued without the Potions professor.

After the meeting, Hermione decided that she needed to change her mind and went to the greenhouse – the only peaceful place in here. The sun was still shining though it was the end of the day and when she entered the glasshouse she was welcomed with a nice warmth.

She walked a bit towards the orchard. And that was when she saw him. Severus Snape was leaning heavily against the trunk of a cherry tree. And he was grimacing as if he was in pain.


	6. Being a spy

**Here is the new chapter! I am sorry for the delay but I'm going back to work soon and I won't have the time to update as regularly as these past couple of weeks. I will have tons of marking to do and thus I will be able to update only once a week I think. Sorry.**

 **Anyway, enjoy this brand new chapter.**

 **Chapter 6 – Being a spy**

She stopped when she spotted him.

Severus had left the meeting because of the way he was treated but also because he was a very private man. And as a private man he could not imagine people witnessing him in a moment of weakness. And that was exactly what he was experiencing.

During the attack lead by Voldemort's minions, Severus had also been sent to the ministry. He had had to pretend – as always – that he was loyal to the Dark Lord and thus had had to take part in the raid. He always tried to remain discreet during such events. It was not his intention to hurt anyone, but sometimes he could not avoid it or else he was sure to be tortured or killed by his monstrous master.

And so during the Ministry attack he had cast mild curses. Most of them aimed at the different ministry officials present all around him. But sometimes, when hidden behind a pillar or in an alcove, he had managed to cast spells towards his fellow Deatheaters. He was sure that a few of his spells had helped innocent wizards to escape. He had done his best to do so.

But taking part in the attack dressed as a Deatheater and wearing a Deatheater mask meant that he could be a target for all of the Aurors and other ministry officials present at that time. And a target he had been. He had been hit at least twice – maybe more but the pain was so intense that he could very well had been affected by other curses and he would not know.

After the Dark Lord had called for a retreat, Severus had managed with difficulty to apparate in the square before Grimmauld Place. He had had to focus more than usual in order not to splinch himself. And then he had had to walk to the entry. There he had witnessed the mess in the corridor. Then he had seen from the corner of his eyes the state in which the five members of the Order who had been caught in the attack were. He had hurried himself to his lab where he kept the different pain relievers he had. It would ease his pain for a while. A few minutes later he had been back up in the kitchen for the meeting.

He did not like this kind of meetings. Every time that kind of events happened – and thank God that they happened rarely – Severus felt guilty. That old feeling that never seems to be too far. It was an old companion of his, but nonetheless Severus did not really appreciate when it settled deep in his chest. He felt guilty though he could not have done anything. He had been brewing his potion, then called by the Dark Lord and suddenly he had found himself forced on a mission which was bound to cause casualties. He could not have prevented it. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had not confided in him – a sign which also shows that Severus was not completely trusted anymore and that he had to work on that all over again.

The meeting had started and again someone had accused him of not being loyal. As if he did not felt guilty enough. Someone had to throw him the facts in the face. Severus Snape did not show – he never showed – but it had hurt. It always hurt. But he kept his hurt deep inside. The accusations had escalated a bit. His nerves on edge because of the attack and the potion he had taken, Severus had not been able to remain calm. And when he had not been able to stand the accusations anymore, he had left.

He had gone directly to the greenhouse. His greenhouse as he liked to think. When he had arrived there, he had walked to the orchard. The smells of the different flowers and trees filled the place. And it was relaxing. But he had underestimated the extent of his injuries and thus the pain reliever he had taken stopped working. He had had to find something to support had thus leant back against a cherry tree.

His eyes were closed tight as he went through a series of spasms – the aftereffect of one of the curses he had received. The pain was unbearable. It was like the Cruciatus Curse but concentrated along his spine. It was like sharp tiny swords being thrust in his backbone. And all his muscles around contracting at the same time. He was sure that if the pain remained he would certainly pass out. He felt drops of perspiration running down his right temple. And a warm liquid was also flowing down his arm. He had not checked but he must have been hit by slicing curses as well.

His legs could not support him any longer and he sat down, his back against the trunk of the tree. That was when he felt a hand on his shoulder. A very small and light hand. He cracked one eye open. It was Hermione Granger. Seeing that he was not in immediate danger and that anyway he did not want to move, he closed his eyes. He had to save his energy and closing his eyes psychologically helped him to bear the pain.

* * *

Hermione had approached him when she saw him close his eyes and sat down on the ground. It was so unlike Snape to appear that weak. She went to him and put a hand on his shoulder. She did not know if he was okay with someone touching him but he was in a bad shape. When she came to him, she saw that his eyes were closed very tight, he had a deeper frown than usual, he was sweating from the pain – and maybe the beginning of a fever – and she could see smears of blood on his frock coat.

"Sir, are you alright?" She asked and when he did not answer immediately she chastised herself for asking such a stupid question.

Hermione started to look at the different smears of blood and saw at least two deep gashes: one on his shoulder, the other on his torso.

"Sir, you have two deep cuts. I will have to heal them with Dittany and a few spells if you're alright"

He nodded, his eyes were still closed.

"Are you in pain somewhere else?"

He nodded again.

"I will have to cast a diagnosis spell if you don't mind Sir?"

Again he nodded. It was so unlike her former professor to not answer. He had to be in real pain or really weak. Usually, he would have uttered an acerbic comment by then. But he had not. And so Hermione hurried to establish a diagnosis.

"Pain in the spine Sir?"

Severus nodded.

"There seems to be some kind of nerve damage there. I will need to use some potions to treat that. Is it more a burning or a stabbing sensation?" Hermione asked.

"Stab-bing" Snape whispered with difficulty.

"Okay. I'm going to call for Poppy." She said as she started to rise on her feet.

"No!" He hissed as he put his hand on her arm to prevent her from leaving. And so Hermione remained, a bit surprised at his reaction. "Don't c-call her. I… have p-potions here… in the… c-cup-board un…der the work-king bench."

He let his head fall against the trunk. Talking and focusing on his words had taken a lot of energy from him.

"Okay, Sir."

And Hermione left. She came back to him and uncorked the vial of the potion which would work on his nerves. She kneeled next to the professor and helped him drink the content. She massaged his throat to make him swallow more quickly.

Snape suddenly grabbed her hand as the potion started to work. The nerves were regenerating and it hurt like hell. He could not help but moan in pain. Tears escaped his closed eyelids. Hermione witnessed this moment of weakness that she esteemed to be a moment of courage. She grabbed his hand tightly to show him that she supported him. His hand did not seem as calloused as they looked. To distract herself from the pain she could see on his face, she stared at their linked hands. His was pale. He had such long fingers. They were nice.

Once his grip on her hand lessened, Hermione reluctantly let his hand go. She went on to work on his cuts.

"Sir, can I vanish your frock coat and shirt? I need to have access to your cuts."

He nodded. The potion had exhausted him.

Hermione vanished his clothes and then she could see the real extent of his injuries. There was a three-inch gash on his shoulder. It was very deep and had bled profusely but the blood was now dry. The one on his torso was bigger but less deep. It would not be that difficult to heal those as they were superficial.

"I will need to use Dittany over your cuts. It may sting a bit. Sorry." Hermione said apologetically.

At that, Severus snorted – of amusement? As if he was a novice. It was not the first time he had been injured and certainly not the first time he was healed. And sadly – he thought – it would be the last.

Hermione cleaned the wounds and applied Dittany. The injuries closed up. And she then conjured some new clothes for him. It was a bit disturbing to see her former professor, who always was in control and menacing in his black robes, sitting there shirtless and in pain.

"I left some clothes next to you. Do you want me to help you to your room?" She asked.

Severus shook his head. He had no intention of crossing the house weak as he was. He would remain here against his tree while he recovered.

"Okay, I'll leave you then."

But before she could stand up, once again he put a hand on her forearm. Hermione looked at his hand questioningly. He had never touched her and it was the third time today. It felt awkward but in a good way. Some kind of warmth spread down her arm through his palm. It was a weird and nice sensation at the same time.

Severus opened his eyes.

"Thank you" He whispered.

Hermione smiled at him.

"You're welcome Sir"

And she left.

* * *

Hermione wanted to go to her room to relax a bit and introspect on the events of the day. On her way, she thought about what she had just witnessed. How cruel life had been and still was for Severus Snape! Misunderstood by everyone, rejected even. And he was forced to hide his own feelings because he was not accepted by the others. It was revolting! This man gave up his life to help the light and that was how he was thanked.

He had been injured the whole time in the kitchen but did not let anything show. And then he had been verbally assaulted by this brute of Moody Mad-Eye! And nobody had moved – and neither did she. She was a coward. So were the others.

As she passed by a cosy living room where her friends had settled, Ginny called her.

"Hermione come!"

Hermione was knackered and just wanted to sleep. But a bit of chitchat with her friends could do her more good than a nap.

"Where have you been?" Ronald asked.

He was sitting on a carpet in front of one of the sofas leaning back against it while Lavender was sitting on the sofa massaging his scalp. Harry and Ginny both sat in one armchair. Ginny was on the lap of Harry.

"I needed to change my mind." Hermione answered while she sat in one of the other armchairs. Even if they were her friends she could not really well say what she had been doing. "I went for a walk in the garden."

"Ah ok." It was Ron's answer.

They all seemed exhausted by the day. But they were bound to witness such atrocities and not only because of the war. Hermione had chosen to become a healer when she left Hogwarts. And thus she would be a first-hand witness for all kinds of situation like that – even more now that there were still at war. And Harry and Ron had chosen to become Aurors. Therefore they were in first line for this kind of attack. Lavender and Ginny were exempt – as if you could really be during a war – as the former was working in a beauty shop and the latter trained for the Holyhead Harpies.

They started to talk about the last prank invented by the Weasley twins. Then they talked about the birthday party of Harry. And finished by talking about the weather. And when you start talking about the weather while with your best friends it always means that you have nothing to say really and that the discussion must end. And that was exactly what happened. They all became silent. Except for Lavender.

As Hermione observed her, she reckoned that this girl had to be oblivious to the world around her. They had all stopped talking. It was clear that they did not want the discussion to go on. Harry and Ginny had even started to move probably to go to bed. But no the blondish girl had started talking again. If only what she was saying was interesting!

"I hope that what happened today would not happen again" Lavender started.

They all nodded in agreement. Not wanting to argue. The less you talked, the less Lavender would talk. Or so they thought.

"No but really, look at the mess in the corridor."

Hermione rolled her eyes. Someone had died and that was all she could think about. She could thank God that she was Ron's girlfriend. If she had not been, Hermione would have told her to shut up.

"And what about the meeting? Did you see Snape's reaction?"

"Professor Snape," Hermione automatically corrected.

"Whatever," Lavender said. "Did you see how he reacted? As if you could not say anything against him. We have every right to question his actions. Well, Mad-Eye was maybe a bit too forward. But still."

Hermione boiled deep inside. Every right to question his actions? After what the man endured every single day of his life. Lavender kept on talking about the incident for a few seconds before Hermione's temper revealed itself. After what happened today and the way the girl was talking, Hermione's nerves were on edge.

"Will you shut up please!" Hermione shouted at Ron's girlfriend.

Every head in the room turned towards her. They were startled by Hermione's words and tone.

"Hermione," Ron tried.

"Don't Hermione me! Your stupid girlfriend does not know what she is talking about. No you can't question Professor Snape's deeds. Not like that. He is our spy! Do you understand what it means in your stupid little head?"

"Oh!" Lavender was shocked and outraged. The others looked at Hermione with big open eyes. What was happening?

"I am fed up with this attitude. Our spy who faces the Dark Lord for us directly is always accused of something. Can we not let him be? Do you think that it is easy for him? No! And we all sit there during the meetings as if it was normal that someone would accuse him of treachery like that. I think not. Casualties happen. We are at war. No need to find a culprit. The culprit is that monster of Dark Lord. Period. And we are all cowards when we let our precious and only spy being accused like that!"

And with that she stormed out of the room. She could not stand anymore this kind of accusations. Not after what she had witnessed in the greenhouse.

When she crossed the threshold of the room they were sat in, she bumped into a dark mass. Professor Snape. She looked at him. She was mortified. Hermione had not intended for him to hear what she said. And obviously he had heard.

He glared at her and turned back quickly, leaving her in the corridor.

Hermione sighed. She did not know him very well but she knew that he was not the kind of man who liked to be the topic of casual conversations. And he was certainly not the kind of man to like being defended by the childish girl she was to his eyes.

 **N/A: Did you enjoy? What should I improve? Or develop? What do you like in the story? What do you dislike? Tell me. ;)**


	7. Brewing potions

**Hello everyone! I'm so sorry for the delay but I greatly underestimated the work and grading I had to do during these last few weeks. The end of the school year is near where I am and I have a lot of things to manage. Again, very sorry for not posting a chapter earlier.**

 **I am not completely satisfied with what I wrote but as you waited long enough, here it is!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 7: Brewing potions**

After his unfortunate eavesdropping of the "conversation" between Potter, Granger and the Weasley present, Severus had wanted to go to his chamber but once he had arrived in front of the stairs leading to it he had had to acknowledge the fact that he was still too weak for this kind of effort.

And so that is why he found himself opening the door of the small library of Grimmauld place. With difficulty he moved to his favourite armchair while trying to not stumble.

He sat and closed his eyes. He remembered what had just happened.

He had gone to the greenhouse to sit and relax. And so when he had felt someone putting a hand on his shoulder he had briefly been startled. But as soon as the hand had come in contact with his tense muscle a wave of patchouli sent had hit his nose. That and the delicateness of the touch and he had known that it was his former student: Hermione Granger. Luckily for him. He did not want anyone to see him so weak. But if he had had to pick someone to be the witness of his moment of weakness she would have certainly been part of the selected few. He had come to appreciate her presence during the last few days. And better her than Mad-Eye, Shacklebot or even worse, Potter.

He had been in terrible pain. The gashes were not the worse. It was the spasms. It was as if all of his muscles contracted at once. It was painful and tiring. That is why even after Granger's ministrations he still felt not quite alright.

He had been grateful for her kindness. She had been very professional doing exactly what she had to do. And for once, he did not feel the animosity Pomfrey sometimes reeked. Not that Poppy was a bad nurse but understandably it was sometimes hard for her to distinguish the deeds of the Death Eaters from his work as a spy.

He had also not felt the pity he sometimes saw in McGonagall's eyes for example. From the little he had seen through his semi-closed eyelashes, he had seen concern. And concern was not something he often experienced in the looks of the people he encountered. So he had let Granger do her work.

Once finished, she had left. And for the first time in a very long time, he had thanked someone.

He had taken a few minutes for himself to recover. He had maybe slept a few minutes. Severus did not know who had hit him with this damn curse but the wizard was powerful. It would be several days before he would recover completely.

After his very short nap, Severus had left the greenhouse. What he had not expected was to stumble across a very upset Granger defending him in front of her friends. And he did not know why – his pride certainly – but he had not liked it at all. How could she speak for him like that? Who was she to defend him?

So he had stood there until she left the room and bumped into him. Granger had then looked at him and seeing her innocence and concern again, he had left. He could not bear that. He was not to be defended. Severus was a grown man and she was just a child.

Sitting in his armchair in the library, Severus started to wonder if he had not been vexed for nothing. But at the same time, he had never needed someone and that would never be the case. He did not want his former student to act with him as if he was the latest fashionable cause to defend. And he did not care of the mortified look he had seen on Granger's face the moment she realised he had heard everything. He would not apologize for eavesdropping or leaving. There was nothing to apologize for.

And on that thought, he fell asleep in his armchair, exhausted and still aching too much to try to climb the stairs to his room.

* * *

It was only a couple of days later before they both met again. It was late in the evening and Severus was once again in the library. These last few days had been tiring and a good old Muggle novel was the best remedy.

He had been there for an hour already when the door creaked open. Severus' first reaction was to sigh. He just wanted to be left alone.

The door opened a bit more and a shy Hermione Granger came in the room. She must have suspected that he would be here because she scanned the room before closing the door. When she saw him she made a weak smile in his direction.

Severus was in no mood to speak and surely the girl wanted to talk to him about what had happened in the greenhouse and after. So he looked at her when she made her way to one of the bookshelves close to him. She faced it and scanned the different leather bound spines. He was sure she would then turn around to talk to him. But when she grabbed a book and went to sit comfortably in the sofa facing the fireplace he was definitely surprised.

He was usually very good at reading people's mind and behaviour but Granger was another matter. She was not what he expected her to be. She never acted as she should according to his standards.

After several minutes spent in silence, Severus gave up. Hermione Granger was not going to talk to him and seemed to have just come to read a book – they were in the library after all. And therefore he resumed his reading.

A couple of hours later, as Severus was starting to lose focus on what he was reading and was on the verge of drifting to sleep right here in his armchair, Granger rose from the sofa, put the book back on its bookshelf and left.

"Good night," she said shyly as she closed the door.

And the scene repeated itself during the next fortnight. Both were avid readers and considered the library a heaven in these dark times. No words were exchanged. Just the usual "good night" from Hermione.

Hermione liked these quiet moments and she did not mind the presence of Snape in the room. She even found it reassuring. As for Severus, he would never admit it but he did not really mind her presence either. He did not enjoy but she was a quiet companion and that suited him.

* * *

It was now mid-august and the temperature was unnaturally hot. During the night the temperature did not cool enough for Hermione to sleep comfortably. So after turning and tossing in her bed for about two hours, she decided that she should better get out of bed. Sleep was not going to come soon. Of course, she could have used a cooling charm but she did not really like the sensation.

Thus she decided to go to the kitchen to drink a cup of tea. It is common knowledge that when it is too hot, a hot beverage is the best.

On her way down to the kitchen, she passed in front of the bedrooms of some of her former classmates. And she heard them snoring. How she wished to be able to sleep as easily as they did.

Once she arrived to the kitchen, she put the kettle on and waited.

She had been there for a few weeks now. The change of environment had been hard at first but then Hermione had adapted to it. It was nice to have your friends so close. The assignment given by Dumbledore occupied her mind. And she was still going to St Mungo's every day for her apprenticeship.

Yet, now that she had fallen into a kind of routine, juggling between all of her obligations, she was becoming tired of her new life. She wanted some space. She wanted to eat dinner whenever she wanted for example. She wanted to sit in the garden in silence without someone coming and talking to her. She knew that she was a bit childish. She hated being under so much stress.

When the water was hot, Hermione poured it in her cup and waited for the tea to infuse.

As she waited, she looked outside. The moon was bright. And a trained eye could see the faint shimmer the beams of the moon produced on the hidden greenhouse.

How Hermione loved this place. She loved working there. Sometimes she even wondered why she did not follow Neville Longbottom's path and went to study Herbology and Botany.

As she was watching outside, she suddenly had a weird sensation. As if there was a fire burning in her back. She had already felt this many times during the past weeks. And she knew what it meant. Severus Snape was watching her, probably standing in the doorway. Every time he was near, she felt it. She did not know how but she felt it. It was a weird sensation that she had never felt before with anyone else. She would have to investigate it later, now she did not have the time.

Professor Snape had not talked to her once since the incident in the greenhouse and what had followed after.

She sighed, a bit desperate at the reaction of the man. She waved her wand in the direction of the kettle in order to keep the water warm enough if he ever wanted to drink a cup of tea and she left the room. When she passed by him in the doorway, she greeted him good night but he gave her no answer. She once again felt this distinctive warmth that was characteristic of him as she brushed past him. And she knew deep inside that it was only his pride which prevented him to acknowledge her and that he had noticed her nice gesture with the kettle.

* * *

Severus closed his eyes as Granger's shoulder grazed his side. He hated what was happening. He hated this warmth. He hated to smell her perfume. He hated her kind gestures. Who did she think she was, provoking all that?

But despite this growing anger inside of him, Severus directed himself to the table to make himself a cup of tea.

* * *

The next day found Severus in the greenhouse, once again working on a potion. He had gathered all the ingredients he wanted.

The potion he was working on was made for Lupin and was complementary to the Wolfsbane. After some research and discussions with the werewolf, he had discovered that the change of form provoked different kinds of pains in Lupin's muscles during the days following the transformation and that with the age his tendons and joints ached more and more.

But for chopping the ingredients correctly for this potion, Severus needed a specific knife. He needed a knife that was made of silver and forged by Goblins. And unfortunately he could not find it. He was sure to have brought it with him from the potions lab but he could not find it. He was looking everywhere. What was happening to him?

* * *

Hermione had arrived a few minutes earlier and was observing him. She found herself doing that more and more often. The professor that she had always considered as nothing else than a professor was now a man to her eyes.

She had noticed that he preferred to work wearing only a white shirt. And he always rolled up his sleeves a bit. It was nice to see him working. Hermione admired him. She did not only enjoy the look of him. Most of all, she learned. Watching him work was the best way to learn the art of potions. And she did not know why he did not use this method when in Hogwarts. He was very precise in his movement. Always calm. Always confident

But today was different, he was looking for his knife. It was so unlike him to lose something as he always neatly put his things in order. Hermione smiled. Severus Snape was a man like any other man. He was not only the difficult professor she had known back at Hogwarts. He was a passionate man when it came to potions. He was a brave man for being a spy. He could feel pain. He had a temper. He could be nice – he accepted her in his greenhouse after all. And he could be a scatterbrain sometimes.

Hermione rose from her seat and went to the workbench where the knife was, hidden behind a jar containing a very suspicious liquid she did not want to know about. She took it and put it on the table in front of the dark man. Then she went back to her seat to read her book, still smiling.

When Severus registered what had just happened, he stopped moving. What was happening to him? It was not him to be so absent-minded or not observant. He did not know if this state was because of her presence or because he was tired of all the Death Eater or Order meetings. Surely it was because of her he thought. She was the one who disturbed him surely.

He waited a couple of minutes before looking in her direction. She was a strange woman. Why did she come to the greenhouse or the library when he was already there? Why did she not leave? They were questions that Severus could not answer. He had never been close to anyone since Lily. It was something strange to share his space with someone else.

Severus took some minutes to observe her. It was fascinating to see how quickly she could become engrossed in a book. She was reading and it was as if the world around her did not exist anymore. The proof was that the pens she had brought with her to take notes were floating in front of her. He had noticed that whenever she read or was enthusiast about something, she involuntarily made things float around her. One day, he would have to talk to her. But not today. He had a potion to brew and she was distracting him!

* * *

After lunch, Severus went back to the greenhouse to continue working on his potion but Hermione did not follow him. She had decided to spend some times with her friends. It was Sunday and everybody was at home.

They were laughing about a joke one of the twins said when Dumbledore appeared in the doorway of the small living-room.

"Hello everyone!"

Everyone greeted the old wizard back

"May I speak to Miss Granger?" Dumbledore asked.

"Of course Sir," Hermione answered while rising from her armchair.

Dumbledore smiled and left the room. Hermione followed him to the kitchen.

She did not know why, but the kitchen always seemed to be the perfect place for serious conversations. And she felt that it was going to be one of them.

Dumbledore conjured two cups of steaming tea which came out of nowhere and sat down in one of the chair. He made a gesture for Hermione to take the seat opposite to him. She sat down.

"Miss Granger, I know that you have a lot to do." Dumbledore said and Hermione nodded. "I have asked a lot from you already. With your apprenticeship in St Mungo's and the research I asked you to do, I imagine that you have busy days."

"Very busy indeed." She agreed.

"I know that what I am going to ask you will make your days and weeks even busier but it is essential."

Hermione worried a little but nodded to the Headmaster's sentence.

"I want you to help Professor Snape on the potions for Hogwarts' infirmary. The infirmary needs to be supplied with fresh potions before the start of the new school year in a few days. As you know Professor Snape has other obligations which are more and more demanding and more urgent than the infirmary." Dumbledore said.

"But Sir…" Hermione started.

"Miss Granger. I know that I am asking a lot but it is important. And it will only be for a few days. The new year is starting soon and Professor will be less summoned after this date."

"But Sir, surely, there are people more qualified to help Professor Snape."

It is not that she did not want to help Snape but her research and her apprenticeship took a lot of her time already and this new assignment felt like an overwhelming task to do.

"You are qualified Miss Granger. Don't underestimate you." Dumbledore answered with a smile. "You are a very good apprentice from what I heard in St Mungo's and you were one of the brightest witches Hogwarts has ever known."

To that Hermione blushed a little. But as soon as she registered his words, she felt her anger rise again. It was the typical Dumbledore's method to make you do what he wanted. He praised you to make you do whatever he had imagined.

"But…"

"No but Miss Granger. We do not want Professor Snape to make a mistake in his job as a spy because he was tired of spending the night brewing a potion against stomach aches for Poppy, don't we?" He said with a twinkle in his eyes.

Hermione shook her head. He had a point.

"Good" he said as he stood up.

Dumbledore went to the door and stopped when he passed next to Hermione. She had not move and was looking at the window, tired at the thought of all the work she will have to do during the following weeks.

"I let you explain your new assignment to our Potions professor, right?" Dumbledore said.

And without waiting for an answer or an acknowledgement from Hermione, Dumbledore left.

 **N/A: It's not an eventful chapter and not one of the bests but did you like it? And also, as I am not an English speaker, if you see a mistake tell me. Same for any constructive criticism.**


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